Where to keep FPM during landing

I know it should be on the runway threshold, but between what degree pitch bars should the FPM be? I usually have it at around -2.5 degrees but this seems impossible in the tomcat and i often have it above the artificial horizon line. Is this normal?

In level flight, the HUD pitch ladder is depressed 5 degrees from the horizon.

The majority of us totally ignore the FPM (and even the entire HUD) when landing.

On carrier landing use the ball to judge flight path elevation and FPM to get lateral corrections right. Do not trust the FPM alone. It is not a precision instrument, like in more modern aircraft.

Trust your analogue instruments and your Mk I eyeballs.

It amazes me that the Grumman engineers would even have included such an inaccurate HUD mode.

Some points that helped me:

1. Trim the Hud before start. On right Side of the green display is a roll-knop where you could adjust the HUD position. It has a 2-5 degree Offset to the grenn display. Adjusting it before the start help much later on final approach.

2. The Tomcat just want to fly and have a very high lift, even on low speeds. I put my nose onto 5-8 degree on HUD and reduce airspeed to 150kn or lower. That mostly centers the FPM on the horizon and from there i made little changes to put in on the runway.

3. When i have the FPM near the point where i want to touchdown i activate the DLC and use only the slats for the final adjustmens while holding Speed and Pitch.

It amazes me that the Grumman engineers would even have included such an inaccurate HUD mode.

The Tomcat HUD FPM is definitely a nice aid, if you check the gauges in addition and do not blindly trust in the HUD.

for a 3° glideslope use the formula IAS x5 (round up or down), so say 130 kts x 5 = 620 = -600fpm. I hope this video will help:

EDIT: pls note I put this together rather in a haste (one shot one take) and blundered a bit at some points, I put my mistakes in the video discription.

It amazes me that the Grumman engineers would even have included such an inaccurate HUD mode.

The plane was designed in 1969....

Where to keep FPM during landing ?

Nowhere. Switch that bloody HUD off when not in combat situation.

The plane was designed in 1969....

Sure, I understand that. However, I don"t understand why it is so far behind in technology compared to it's fellow 4th gen fighters.

First flights...

F-14 1970

F-15 1972

F-16 1974

F/A-18 1978

There seems to have been an incredible breakthrough in HUD technology after 1970 and for whatever reason, it wasn't until the 1990's that it got a modern HUD.

Sure, I understand that. However, I don"t understand why it is so far behind in technology compared to it's fellow 4th gen fighters.

 

First flights...

F-14 1970

F-15 1972

F-16 1974

F/A-18 1978

 

There seems to have been an incredible breakthrough in HUD technology after 1970 and for whatever reason, it wasn't until the 1990's that it got a modern HUD.

Actually, we did. Also note when the Space Shuttle was in the middle of all of that.

The reason it took an extra 20 years is that you don't generally just upgrade airframes on a whim. A change to the systems would be a large undertaking, not as quick and easy and unplugging the old one and slapping a new unit in.

Wow how did anyone ever land an airplane before 4th Generation fighters came along...

Wow how did anyone ever land an airplane before 4th Generation fighters came along...

A HUD is not needed to land an aircraft. I was just wondering why the F-14 was so far behind it's contemoraries and has a HUD landing mode that actually makes it more difficult to land.

for a 3° glideslope use the formula IAS x5 (round up or down), so say 130 kts x 5 = 620 = -600fpm. I hope this video will help:

 

 

 

 

 

EDIT: pls note I put this together rather in a haste (one shot one take) and blundered a bit at some points, I put my mistakes in the video discription.

Hmm so you land based on a descent rate, regardless of where the FPM will be at that descent rate?

A HUD is not needed to land an aircraft. I was just wondering why the F-14 was so far behind it's contemoraries and has a HUD landing mode that actually makes it more difficult to land.

The car model before the one with fancy navigation system, was the model without one, just one or two years apart... same thing.

What do you mean with contemporary? The other planes were introduced years later. And their HUDs actually had refractor glasses, more powerful computers etc.

The car model before the one with fancy navigation system, was the model without one, just one or two years apart... same thing.

Yes, contemporary...the F-14 is considered a 4th gen fighter, correct? I also would not consider 2 years before the F-15 and 4 years before the F-16 as "years later."

It is been said on here that Tomcat pilots routinely turned off or dimmed the HUD for landing. During testing, what did the test pilots think of the landing mode? They must have found it useful is someway to make it to the production aircraft.

The video by IronMike makes it appear that the E-Bracket and FPM are useful while landing. I find that to be the case on land, especially with a stable and long final but not so useful while landing on the carrier or when making significant changes on final approach.

I never had any problems flying the TVV/FPM or whatever you want to call it. It may be off to the side a tad due to INS drift though, but in most cases it's marginal.

Just remember to substract 5° from the pitch ladder if you want to know your attitude.

In level flight, the HUD pitch ladder is depressed 5 degrees from the horizon.

Is it because the cat always needs +5 degrees of pitch attitude to land? Sorry for the curiousity.

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I never had any problems flying the TVV/FPM or whatever you want to call it. It may be off to the side a tad due to INS drift though, but in most cases it's marginal.

 

Just remember to substract 5° from the pitch ladder if you want to know your attitude.

So i dont need to hold 8.5 degres? It need to be 3.5deg on the Landing HUD?

At the end i allways use HUD and FPM to land. First FPM is a great indicator for DLC movement. 2. the horizontal seems to be offset sometimes but vertical is very precise imo.

If you want to fly a 3.5° glideslope, you have to put your FPM at 1.5° above the horizon line since it's actually showing 5° descent. The 5° climb line is your actual horizon. The pitch ladder corresponds correctly to the wings symbol which is why it's depressed. Otherwise that symbol would be right on the heading tape. So the key is depending on what you reference:

wings: pitch ladder as is

FPM: pitch ladder -5°

Yes, contemporary...the F-14 is considered a 4th gen fighter, correct? I also would not consider 2 years before the F-15 and 4 years before the F-16 as "years later."

 

 

 

It is been said on here that Tomcat pilots routinely turned off or dimmed the HUD for landing. During testing, what did the test pilots think of the landing mode? They must have found it useful is someway to make it to the production aircraft.

 

 

 

The video by IronMike makes it appear that the E-Bracket and FPM are useful while landing. I find that to be the case on land, especially with a stable and long final but not so useful while landing on the carrier or when making significant changes on final approach.

...as for the "contemporary", what I meant, was that you would not go to your car dealer and complain that your model from two years ago does not have the fancy entertainment system with voice control, drive assist and such, because "other contemporary cars from one or two years later" do.

It is the same with airplanes. Sometimes the fancy stuff just makes it into the next model. And like with your car you don't strip down the whole thing to integrate the "newer stuff" as long as it does the job.

It amazes me that the Grumman engineers would even have included such an inaccurate HUD mode.

Before there were huds there were gauges...

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If you want to fly a 3.5° glideslope, you have to put your FPM at 1.5° above the horizon line since it's actually showing 5° descent. The 5° climb line is your actual horizon. The pitch ladder corresponds correctly to the wings symbol which is why it's depressed. Otherwise that symbol would be right on the heading tape. So the key is depending on what you reference:

 

wings: pitch ladder as is

FPM: pitch ladder -5°

Can you elaborate on that? I don't quite understand. The pitch ladder is depressed 5 degrees but how Does the indication differ from the wings symbol to the FPM